Book Review: Release by Patrick Ness

Goodreads Synopsis: Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume’s Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It’s a big day. Things go wrong. It’s intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches…
Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It’s a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won’t come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

My Review: Coincidentally Mrs Dalloway was near the top of my to-read pile, when I was offered this, inspired by Virginia Woolf’s book! I’m definitely going to have to go back and read it now, as I’d love to compare this contemporary re-imagining properly.

This story follows Adam, through an incredibly eventful single day, as secrets come to light and Adam navigates the complexity of losing people close to him. I’ve never read a book with such a short time span, and I found it really refreshing. It was compelling and addictive; I was completely swept up in this pivotal day in Adam’s life, reluctant to put the book down.

Alongside Adam’s story, another narrative follows the ghost of a girl recently murdered nearby. It was such a bizarre and haunting twist to the story. One that didn’t hugely make sense to me at times, but undoubtedly gave me chills. I think I need to actually reread Release and take it all in again, as the second narration and ambiguous ending has definitely stayed with me but I don’t quite know why. I finished this feeling like I missed something; maybe that’s because I read it in such a short space of time. Even if it’s only set over a few hours, it’s a book to spend time with to pick up everything.

I absolutely adored this book for the multitude of themes it discusses. The protagonist is living in a deeply religious family that won’t eventually accept him, whilst he’s navigating a complex love life, as a boy he loved is leaving the town. There’s so much more on top of that; I love how well everything is explored. It’s brutally honest about some terrifying stuff.

Patrick Ness’s books are always so unique and remarkable, and I consistently adore his characters. Again, in Release, I became so attached to Adam (and Angela) while I read. They’re incredibly memorable characters. I keep talking about the time frame of this book BUT I think it’s incredible how in-depth the characterisation is, and how every small part of the story is explored, despite it only being based in one day. From Adam’s family religion to his friendship with Angela; everything is so memorable. It’s really stayed with me.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Release. It was inventive and unique, with some truly memorable characters and events. I really connected with the main narrative, and found the ghost story line very haunting, but I feel like I didn’t take it in properly; it felt like a story of its own. I would really like to give this another try though and enjoy it more!

My Rating:

I received a copy of Release from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.